Fresh Start
by Ashley2323
Summary: Rating may change, DMxHS. Hilde Macintosh thpought she had it all until an 'accident' stole her memories form her. Now she is living with a poor family under the name of Hilde Schbeiker. Why would they claim her as their own? And what will happen when her
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.

Description: Hilde Macintosh thought she had it all, until a terrible 'accident' stole her memories and she found herself living with a poor family claiming that she is their daughter, and is engaged to a charming but questionable Duo Maxwell. Under the name of Hilde Schbeiker, she begins to piece together her life with Duo and the Schbeikers, and of her 'real' life in the Macintosh estate. But which one is real? Why would the Schbeikers steal her away from her life? And what happens when her real family comes looking for her?

Genre: Mystery, romance

Author: Ashley2323

Fresh Start 

__

Prologue 'The Party' 

The wind swept up her hair around her, pulling at the ebony tresses. She raised her hand and carefully tucked them back into place. Laughter erupted from inside and she smiled.

Still a certain yearning tugged at her heart, begging her to listen to it, but she pushed it down once again, quieting it. She would enjoy this evening; it was her eighteenth birthday, her debut, and on of the most important celebrations of a well-bred girl's life. 

"Hilde? Hilde, darling…"

Her head snapped up at the sound of her mother's voice.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! What were you thinking, running off out here again?" She didn't bother to wait for Hilde's answer; she just took her hand and pulled off the terrace and back into the grand ballroom.

"There's a certain young man who's been looking for you everywhere." Her mother smirked. Hilde too, smiled.

She picked up the pace, her silver heels clinking against the marble floor.

She stopped in the entrance and let her mother practically float across the ballroom to her country club friends. Hilde glanced across the room, and spotted him talking to her father and some other businessmen.

Smiling broadly, Hilde quickly made sure her long, ebony hair was still perfectly styled, gathered up the bottom of her shimmering silver dress and hurried across the room.

When he saw her, his face lit up. "Hilde!"

"Hello Jack, it's been a long time. When did you get back in the country?" Hilde asked.

"Oh please Hilde, you don't care about my business trips." He paused and studied her appreciatively. Hilde just smiled, "You know me too well, Jack."

Jack was one of her father's employees and was on the brink of a huge promotion in his company. He was tall, with wide shoulders and a gentlemanly charm that no woman could resist. He was 22, four years older than Hilde's eighteen, but it never really mattered much to them.

Jack leaned down and kissed her cheek. "If you don't mind, Sir," He said, turning to Mr. Macintosh, Hilde's father, "I'd like to ask your daughter for a dance."

Mr. Macintosh just laughed, "Please do,"

The couple was out on the dance floor in a flash. 

Hilde sighed deeply as she let her head fall against his shoulder. She was so lucky, she knew women who would kill to be in this position with Jack. They danced for what seemed like hours, until it ended, and then their time was far too short.

Jack pulled away for her and gave her a swift kiss on her forehead. "I have an announcement to make." He explained, "Wait for me?"

"Always," Hilde smiled and let him go. Jack walked up to where the band was playing and took the microphone in his hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please excuse my interruption, but I have something I need to say."

The people stopped dancing and gave the young man their full attention.

"As you know, Hilde Macintosh and I have been courting for two years now…" He looked through the crowd at her and smiled. Hilde smiled back, and a faint red tint hinted at her cheeks. 

"In the years that I've known her, Hilde has held my absolute attention. There is no one in this world I love more."

Hilde was glowing red. He was so incredible; she couldn't believe what he was saying! She prayed to God she had guessed correctly about what he was trying to say.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with her. So Hilde Macintosh," He bent down on one knee, "Will you marry me?"

Hilde screamed with delight. "JACK!" She cried. She picked up her skirt and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes! Oh yes, yes, yes!" She kissed him quickly and pulled him up to his feet.

Jack was beaming and he hugged her until she could hardly breath.

She couldn't have been happier. _I'm so lucky,_ she thought, _I have it all, there's nothing I want in life. I have_ everything. 

~***~

Crawling into bed that night, Hilde could hardly sleep. She was stuck in a dreamlike state. Everything had happened so quickly, she was beginning to ponder if it had really happened at all.

To Hilde, it was as if she had been visited by her own fairy godmother, who had given her everything she could ever think of.

"Mmm," Hilde giggled to herself as she snuggled under the covers. She got to spend the rest of her life with the most perfect man on Earth, to have and to hold so long as they both shall live…

She stopped suddenly in her musings when she thought she heard something downstairs. Holding her breath, she listened for the noise again. It came: a soft thud and a scraping noise as the back door slid open.

"Is mother sleepwalking again?" She asked herself. She slipped out of bed and stepped into her slippers.

She padded gently down the hall and stopped at the top of the stairwell. "Mom…?" Instantly the noises fell silent.

Curiosity tugged at her feet, and she began to make her way down the stairs. They creaked traitorously underneath her, and whoever was downstairs seemed to freeze.  
She rounded the corner into her father's study and nearly screamed.

Two masked men, clad in black, stood rigidly beside the desk, staring at her.

"That's her," Said the taller of the two, taking a step forward.  
Hilde slapped a delicate hand over her mouth and tried to keep herself from screaming. _Wait a second, what am I doing? If I scream, someone will come to help me_.

She dropped her hand and sucked in a deep breath, but before she could make a sound, the shorter man had slapped his big hand over her mouth.

"Come on baby, you're going to have a little accident."

"NO!" Hilde shrieked, but it only came out as a muffled "Nm!"

The man dragged her backwards out of the study, after his companion.  
Hilde could feel tears springing to her eyes and she flailed wildly, trying to escape his heavy grip.

"Calm down baby," He whispered in your ear, "Don't make a sound."

Hilde's body shuddered with sobs.

The man pulled her out into the yard and threw her to the ground.

Hilde started to cry, "Please don't hurt me," She begged.

"Shut up!" The guy hissed, he pointed a gun at her, threatening her if she didn't keep her mouth shut.

The tall man returned, "Come on," He said gruffly, "Make it look like an accident. With all this ruckus the police will be here any minute."

"No…" Hilde begged, dropping her head to the ground and weeping. The men seemed annoyed. 

"You're the boss," Said the shorter one, he leaned down next to her. "This won't hurt a bit," He promised her.

"Oh God…" Hilde moaned. "What did I do?" She forced herself to look up at him, but she could see nothing in his eyes.

"I'm not going to kill you." He sighed. He raised his gun and aimed it at her throat.

Hilde was consumed with despair. He pulled the trigger and she felt a sharp prick followed quickly by darkness.

The man stared at her for a moment, before he was prompted by sirens in the distance to finish what he'd come for

"You done over there, pops?" He called to his partner.

"All set," The other man replied, "And don't call me pops!"

"You got it," He chuckled and picked the girl up off the ground. "Let's get outta here then."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That's it for the prologue. Please e-mail me and tell me if you want it to continue. REVIEWS!!!!!!


	2. Chapter One:Waking Up

Chapter One 'Waking Up' 

**__**

**__**

"What do we have here?" The chief of police asked as he surveyed the scene before him.

The mother was hysterical, so he turned his attention to the victim's fiancé and father.

"Someone kidnapped my daughter," Mr. Macintosh explained furiously. "Last night someone broke in and took her!"

"Where did they enter?"

"Over there," Mr. Macintosh pointed at the back door, where a circular opening had been cut in the glass.

The Chief walked over to it and studied it. "Dust for prints, scour the entire house!" He ordered, "I want to know _exactly_ what happened her in 24 ours or you're all fired!"

He turned back to the family. "Don't worry, we'll find her. Now, do you know of anyone who would want to take her…?" 

Mr. Macintosh and Jack exchanged a look. Finally, Mr. Macintosh took a deep breath. "Well…there **is** someone…"

~***~

The darkness shifted back and forth to light, and fading out into shades of gray. Beyond the darkness she could hear voices talking softly. She tried to pull herself out of her fevered sleep, but she couldn't.  
"How is she…did it work?"

"Don't know, we'll have to wait and see…"

"We're finishing up now…"  
And the voices faded away again. 

When she finally woke, she looked around and found herself somewhere completely unfamiliar.

"Mm," She moaned as she opened her eyes.   
Sleeping on a chair next to her bed was a scruffy looking man with long, chestnut brown hair. 

When she shifted, he too moved and raised his head to look at her. "Hey, you're finally awake." He said hoarsely. "Do you remember what happened?" He asked.

"I was…" She paused, horrified, "I don't remember!" She gasped. She looked at the man and studied him for a long time.

His hair was down to his waist, and kept in a long braid. He wore only black, with a silver cross hanging from his neck. He had a boyish face with brilliant violet eyes, but other than that he looked dangerous. Like a kid who was used to being alone, and being disappointed. 

"We were so worried about you, babe." He said softly, taking her hand. She flinched. 

"Who are we?" She asked, "And who are _you_."

She was surprised to see the flash of hurt in his eyes. "You don't remember me at all?"

She shook her head and tears brimmed in her eyes. "I-I don't remember anything. I can't even remember my own name!" She grabbed at her head and tried to remember something, _anything_. 

"Hey, don't worry about it. It'll come back to you." The man said gently. He cupped her face in his large palm and pulled her forward to meet him.

She was dazed for a moment, but then she suddenly leapt back.

"Whoa! Listen buddy, you haven't answered _any_ of my questions yet! Who the hell are you? Who am _I_? And why do you think you can get off with kissing me here minutes after I wake up from a who-knows-how-long coma!"

"Two weeks," The guy sighed. 

"Yeah, a two-week co…TWO WEEKS!" She bellowed. The sound sent her ears ringing and she groaned as she sank back into the bed.

"Yes, two weeks. Your name is Hilde Schbeiker, your parents and I found you like this down the street in the alley. You had a nasty blow to the head, but it's clearing up now. As for me, I'm Duo Maxwell, your fiancée."

"I…I'm engaged…?"

"Yes," **_But not to me…_** Duo thought, feeling a little guilty.

"To you?"

"Yes…"

"Oh god," She moaned and buried her face in her pillow.

"Hey? Why do you make it sound like such a bad thing?" Duo cried.

"Well look at you!" Hilde screamed. "You look like a thug!"

Duo just laughed, "I get that a lot." He paused and studied her. 

"What?"

"I can't believe this. You're…you're like a different person."

"I'm sorry," She frowned, "I'm sorry I'm not how I used to be."

"It's alright," He told her. "I'm going to go tell your parents that you're awake."

"OK…" She frowned and looked down at herself, and then at the ragged room she was in.

The walls were covered in dark wood paneling, and above her, the ceiling slanted. She could tell she was in an old house, in the attic room. It was insanely cluttered with dark oak furniture and various items.

The only light came from a small window to her right, but at mid afternoon it was more than enough to illuminate the space.

She was sitting in a queen-sized bed with a worn mattress and old, yellowing sheets. Strangely enough though, it was very comfortable and warm.

She glanced outside and saw that it was raining, the sky was gray and the townhouses outside were old and crumbling. No one was out on that dreary day.

She stepped out of bed and examined herself. Thin, a little pale, but no visible bruises, although her muscles did feel a little stiff.

She took a shaky step, testing her balance.

_Not good,_ Hilde though as she stumbled and fell back onto the bed. Groaning, she tried again. She felt so strange being in an alien place, but at the same time, she felt like she belonged there, it was very comfortable.

She managed to get across the room, holding onto anything that could offer her support. She fell onto the vanity against the far wall and braced herself for a horrifying, mutilated face, scarred by some unknown trauma.

She gasped when she finally did open her eyes. She actually wasn't that bad. She had pixie-like features and huge cornflower blue eyes; and although they seemed dull and lifeless now, their luster would return.

She reached up and ran her hands through her hair. It was short and boyish, a bit longer in the front, and was deep ebony, with a bit of blue hinting through it.

She forced herself to stand up straight, and pulled her baggy T-shirt against her tiny frame to get a good idea of her figure. Small: she was very small and fragile, as if she had lived a pampered life. But, judging from the home, the people, and the area, she had not.

She was so confused; if this was her life, why couldn't she remember any of it? Why didn't she feel quite right here? Shouldn't she feel something? Anything, for these people she had supposedly known her entire life? She was so confused. She wanted so badly to know what was going on. To know who these strangers were who'd taken care of her after she was attacked in an alley. It was as if her life had been erased and she was starting fresh.

Would she have to fall in love with her fiancée again? Would she change her mind completely about marrying him? She wondered when the wedding was supposed to take place. Certainly it would be postponed, though, due to recent events and her memory loss.

"She's just gotten up, and she doesn't remember a thing." She heard Duo coming up the stairs. She knew she would never make it back to the bed in time, so she just stood there frozen, like a deer caught in headlights.

The door opened and Duo was the first to come in.

"Hilde! You shouldn't be walking around yet!" He rushed up to her and took her arm. Hilde felt dizzy all of a sudden, and she fell against Duo as he took her back over to the bed.

A middle-aged couple followed him in at looked at her in concern.

"Will she be alright?" The woman asked.

"She'll be just fine," The man assured her. "Duo and I took good care of her."

What was that glint in his eyes? He and Duo shared a quick glance, before the braided man looked back down at her.

"Hilde," Duo said softly, "These are your parents, Gretchen and Hans Schbeiker."

Hilde glanced at her 'parents', they did _look_ somewhat like her, and so they _had_ to be her parents, didn't they?

"Nice to meet you…" She said uncertainly.

Gretchen got a look on her face, like she was going to cry.

"It's good to see that you're OK." Said Hans, stepping up to her and taking her hand in his. "Are you sure you don't remember a thing?"  
She shook her head. "Not a thing."

"Hm," He frowned, the wrinkles on his face deepening, and his deep-set eyes were lost under the folds of skin. Still, he had a dignified look about him; Hilde liked him immediately.

"No matter," He said finally, "I'm sure it will come back to you eventually."

He didn't look too sure.

Hilde could only nod.

"Can we get you anything, sweetie?" Gretchen stepped forward. "I made your favorite. Can I get you some?"

Hilde wasn't even sure what he favorite was. "Sounds good," She offered them a weak smile.

Gretchen brightened considerably. "You get dressed then, dear, and Duo will bring you down when you're ready. Come on Hans, you've got work to finish! How are we supposed to pay the bills if you are always procrastinating?"

"Honey!" Hans protested as she smacked his ear, "My daughter just came out of a coma!"

"Which is exactly why you should get back to work so we can pay those hospital bills!"

Hans pouted; a gesture that looked positively silly on his wise, weathered old face.

Hilde giggled as the woman scuttled downstairs, her husband trailing behind her. She heard Duo laugh as well.

"They're like that sometimes." He told her. "You'll get used to it again."

"I guess," She studied the doorway where they had exited so intently that she almost thought she could bring them back by will alone. She finally managed to tear her eyes away and turned around, only to see Duo digging through a dresser in the corner.

"Oh I'm sorry…is this…your room?"

"No," He said simply,

"Then what…?" 

He cut her off, "It's our room."

"Oh…" She had nothing to say to that. She tried to change the subject, with equally disastrous results. "I guess I should get dressed then, right?"

"That would be a good idea," Duo replied, eying the old track pants and oversized T-shirt she had awoken in. "Gretchen tends to take a fit when you don't dress for dinner. And since you've woken up she'll probably invite the neighbors over to see you."

Hilde gulped; she didn't like the idea of meeting the neighbors just yet. What if she had supposedly known them for years, and now she didn't remember them? What then? She groaned inwardly and started to take a step forward when she stopped dead.

"What? What is it?" Duo asked, slightly concerned. He started towards her.

Hilde clutched at her head and shook it briefly. "I…" She laughed, feeling like an idiot, "I don' know where my clothes are."

"Oh is that all?" Duo laughed, "You had me worried there for a minute." He took her hand and guided her over the clutter to the dresser where he had last been situated. "You've got the right side of this thing. Most of your favorites are still in there, just how you left them."

"How I left them…" Hilde repeated, her tongue rolling the words around in her mouth. Had she left them in some particular way? She couldn't remember. She tentatively pulled open a drawer and studied its contents. There were mostly old T-shirts, and a few pairs of shorts. That couldn't be appropriate. She moved on to the next one.

'These will have to do,' Hilde thought to herself, pulling out a ruffled red peasant shirt. There was a hole under one arm, and it smelled oddly of mothballs. Continuing on her search, she found a black skirt, which looked like it hadn't been work in years and pulled it out as well. She frowned at the multitudes of wrinkles and little pieces of fluff still attached to it. She hastily began to pull them off.

"You've haven't worn that in years," Duo said, confirming her suspicions. 

"Well I'm going to start wearing it." Hilde said distantly.

"Suit yourself," Duo shrugged. He turned around and pulled off his shirt.

Hilde stared at him, aghast.

"What?"

"What are you doing…?" Hilde asked, her voice shaking.

"Changing, why? My clothes smell like old socks."

She wasn't amused. "Do you…do you always change right in front of people?"

"I do if I'm engaged to them. It's not like you've never seen me…" He paused. "But you wouldn't remember that, would you?"

Hilde shook her head numbly. "You can't mean…"

"Mean…?" Duo urged.

"Have we um…you know." She moved her finger between the two of them.

"Of course," Duo laughed at her awkwardness. "We're **engaged,** babe."

"But we're not **married** yet." She pointed out.

Duo sighed, "If you're that uncomfortable around me, I'll go change in the other room. Just call me when you're ready."

"Thank you," Hilde sighed. She watched as he left and grabbed at her shirt. As her fingers pulled off her clothes, she shook violently. Could she really have been so tarnished? Did her parents know?

**Our room…**Duo's words rang in her ears. This was **their** room, they shared it; they probably slept together every night. 

She couldn't even bear to be around herself. She fell down onto the bed and began to cry. She brought her knees up to her chest, clad only in an old bra and sweat pants. Shivering against the cold, she shook with the effort to keep herself from sobbing. She was a horrible, disgusting person! How could she ever stand to look Hans and Gretchen Schbeiker in the eye?

"Hilde? You OK?" She heard Duo call. She couldn't answer; she didn't even know herself.

'Am I OK?' She didn't need to know the answer to that. What was to become of her now? Now that she didn't remember a thing about her past. 'God, amnesia sucks…'

The door swung open, and Duo took one look at her and was at her side in an instant. "Hilde, come on, take a few deep breaths." He instructed her. His hand fell on her side, and she snapped back into reality, instantly shoving him off. 

"Stay away from me." She gasped. "I don't…just don't touch me, please." She crossed her arms in front of her, covering herself. She glanced into his eyes: within them she could see the hurt and amazement, the helplessness he felt. He loved her, but she could no longer love him; how else could he be feeling?

"Hilde…" He whimpered, he was so pathetic that she hated herself for not remembering.

She took a deep, shuddered breath and picked up the blouse she's dropped on the ground. "Is this really my home?" She asked.

"O-of course it is, babe." Duo stuttered, confused

"Then why do I feel like I'm living with strangers?"

He had nothing to say.


	3. Chapter Two: Dinner

Chapter Two Dinner 

**__**

**__**

**__**

Hilde took a deep breath before stepping into the kitchen for dinner. Duo had left her alone a few minutes ago to finish changing, so he was already sitting down. As her petite frame broke through into the intense yellow light of the kitchen, they all stopped to look at her.

"Hilde?" Gretchen questioned, "You have worn that in years."

"So I've heard," Hilde replied bluntly. She took a shaky step forward and nearly fell, causing Hans to jump up and catch her. 

"Maybe you shouldn't be walking around right now." He suggested with concern.

"No, no, I'm fine." Hilde insisted. But even as those words came out of her mouth, she felt a wave of nausea come over her.

"Maybe a little food will help, sit down." Gretchen said. Hilde obliged willingly and sat down between Duo and Hans. Gretchen began piling food on her plate.

"What…what is all this…?" Hilde wondered, staring at the strange concoction.

"It's your favourite," Gretchen replied, looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Sauerkraut."(1)

"Um…" Hilde wasn't so sure she would like it. But just to please the woman who'd taken her in, she took a tentative bite. Immediately her face scrunched up and she resisted the temptation to spit out the sour, bitter mess. She heard Duo snort beside her, apparently amused at her reaction.

Hilde glared at him for a moment. "What's the matter, dear? Don't you like it?" Gretchen asked.

"Maybe I could just have a hot dog or something."

"Well, I never would have expected your tastes to have changed!" Gretchen gasped. "Hans, is that normal?"

Hans shrugged, "Sometimes amnesiacs convince themselves they don't like certain things before they try them. It's a brain thing.

"Oh…well I an make you something else." Gretchen promised. 

"Thank you," Hilde bowed her head nervously. '_Dammit! You're already screwing up!_' She cursed herself. 'I'm never going to fit in here', she sobbed inwardly, 'What if I've changed so much that they kick me out? What if they start to hate me?'

As she mused, she felt a hand fall on her back. She stopped and looked up. "Don't worry about it babe, you never really liked that stuff anyway." Duo winked at her. Hilde could only blink. Duo's attempt at comforting her had succeeded and she smiled.

"Well, I called Mr. and Mrs. Nexing as soon as you woke up honey. They can't wait to come see you."

Hilde stopped eating and looked at up her. "Excuse me? Who are they?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! You've lost your memory. They've been our next-door neighbours for years! Mrs. Nexing babysat you when you were still in diapers!"

Duo glanced at Gretchen, and she frowned. "I'm sorry," She sighed, "I'm afraid I may be moving a bit too fast for you, honey. It's just that I'm so happy you're finally back."

"Back…?"

"Yes, you know, awake and all that. Maybe sometime you'll start to remember what happened to you, hm?" She was so openly optimistic about everything. But Hilde doubted if she'd ever recover her lost memories.

"Well Gretchen, dinner was excellent as usual," Duo said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to be late for work." He stood up and glanced at Hilde for a moment. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but then decided against it and walked out of the kitchen.

Hilde watched him, unsure of what to say or do. Duo was already a mystery to her. It was like he was wearing a mask of false happiness, but every so often she caught a glimpse of the real person underneath, the one who had some sort of secret that was eating away at him. He left promptly, leaving Hilde with her parents.

"Come on Hilde," Hans said as he stood up and wiped his mouth. "There's a movie on TV I wanted to see."

~***~

Chief inspector William Cornwell was still pouring over mounds of evidence from the Macintosh abduction. His head was pounding and his throat dry, but he was getting a lot of money from this case. He had to solve it, and fast.

The most interesting piece of evidence he'd acquired was the remains of a small dart. He had a lab working on testing the residue left on it. But until he got the results, he would have to work on other things. Mr. Macintosh had already told him of someone who'd used to work for him as a security guard. He made a likely suspect. He knew the grounds and security systems well enough to get past them; the problem was, the man had to be over fifty, and there was no way he could pull off a kidnapping scheme on his own.

Other than an accomplice, he had almost everything he needed to arrest him. The main thing right now was to find him. Cornwell had traced his suspect through five name changes, before he finally lost track of him. How was it possible that some old guy could outrun the police for so long?

"Where the hell are you, Hans Schbeiker?"

~***~

"Oh! The Nexings are here!" Gretchen said happily as she opened the door for her friends. An elderly couple stepped in and greeted her warmly. They were a kind looking couple, both with graying hair and friendly smiles.

"So young Hilde is awake again, is she?" Mrs. Nexing asked as she searched around the hall. "Where is she?"

"She's watching television with her father. Come in, come in, and meet her."

They both smiled as Gretchen showed them to the living room and tapped Hilde on the shoulder. "Hilde, this is Mr. and Mrs. Nexing. I know you don't remember them, but they've been waiting to see you."

Hilde stood up and smiled politely at the couple. "Hello, it's very nice to meet you." She expected only a handshake form them, but Mrs. Nexing brushed her hand away and gave her a suffocating hug. "Oh we've missed you dear! We were all so _worried_!"

Hilde smiled uncertainly and yawned as the woman pulled away.

"Why, you've worn her out Gretchen!" Mr. Nexing accused laughingly. "You shouldn't be walking around so much, my dear."

"You're probably right," Hilde agreed with a smile. "I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight."

"Alright, see you in the morning." Gretchen said.

"Yeah…" Hilde made her escape from the over-friendly people and somehow managed to make it all the way back up to her attic room. She stumbled into bed and was asleep almost instantly. She'd had an exhausting day.

~**~

"Do you really think this is right?" Mrs. Nexing asked shakily.

"Of course it is," Hans replied firmly, "It's our right to have her here."

"But…she was so happy there…"

"She only thought she was happy." Gretchen snarled, bordering on tears. "She's better off here, where she belongs."

"Well, you could at least send her to a hosp…"

"No! No hospitals!" Hans cried. "They might…they might figure something out."

Mr. Nexing sighed, "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, Hans. It's not right."

Hans glared at the man, rising up out of his chair as he spoke. "You have to! I'm not letting her leave this place! If you ever **dare** to go to the police I'll…"

"Hans…?"

Hans stopped in mid-sentence and looked up. Duo stood in the doorway, looking wearily at them. "You guys shouldn't talk so loud. She'll hear you." He told them. "I could hear you guys practically all the way down the street." 

"Duo's right," Hans sighed as he took his seat again. "Maybe you guys should go."

The Nexings nodded as they got up. "Don't worry Hans, we wont go to the police." Mrs. Nexing assured him.

Hans nodded and showed them out of the house. "Duo," He sighed once they'd left. "Remind me again why I'm doing this?"

Duo smiled, "Because she's your daughter." He winked before he headed upstairs.

When he had finally made his way to the attic room, he saw that Hilde was already fast asleep. She was curled up with her knees brought up to her chest, hugging a pillow. She looked so comfortable there, her chest rising and falling as she took each breath. Duo sighed as he looked at her. Carefully he took a step forward and studied her face. She looked so at peace while she was sleeping, no longer afraid. The space next to her looked so inviting, and, as her fiancée, he had every right to occupy it. Still, he decided he'd be better off if he just slept on the couch. He kicked off his shoes and peeled off his shirt before he stumbled back down the stairs. Gretchen and Hans had already gone to bed, so he didn't disturb anybody when he came down. 

Duo lay down on the hard couch, a broken spring pressing into his lower back. He stared up at the ceiling, and for the thousandth time wondered if they were doing the right thing. Surely there was some other way…sighing, he finally fell asleep, his own guilt haunting his dreams.


End file.
